Showing posts with label THISDAY. Show all posts
Showing posts with label THISDAY. Show all posts

7 Apr 2009


-Grassroots also unhappy with govt performance over use of resources

THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam

POVERTY levels continue to be on the rise in Tanzania despite large sums of monetary aid being regularly poured into the country from external sources, top financial institutions have asserted in Dar es Salaam.

Meeting in the city over the weekend, officials of the World Bank, African Development Bank (AfDB), and the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs were in consensus that statistical records of Tanzania’s received aid vis-a-vis poverty alleviation over the past decade were far from encouraging.

It was noted that while the country has enjoyed substantial Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) funding since 2001, poverty has only been marginally reduced, from 35.7 to 33.6 per cent, while the total number of Tanzanians living in poverty has increased by about 1.6 million people.

’’In this situation, many people ask themselves what is being done to [the aid] for poverty reduction and economic growth that (is supposed to) benefit all Tanzanians,’’ said the World Bank Country Director for Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda, John McIntire.

His views were more or less echoed by the AfDB country Representative to Tanzania, Sipho Moyo, who remarked: ’’The focus now must be on results, notably in light of the upcoming mid-term review...(AfDB) shareholders are increasingly looking for higher impact on the ground.’’

The three institutions were holding the ’Country Portfolio Performance Review (CPPR)’ for Tanzania, where operations financed by the World Bank and AfDB were jointly assessed.

The tripartite meeting was geared towards promoting effective project management, raising disbursement rates, and ’’enhancing Tanzania’s absorptive capacity for additional financing,’’ according to a joint statement issued afterwards.

Currently, there are a total of 23 ongoing World Bank-financed projects in Tanzania, representing total commitments of some $2bn, out of which $968m has already been disbursed. Meanwhile, the AfDB has 18 ongoing projects in the country, with a committed amount of $854m.

Leading the Tanzanian delegation to the meeting, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs, Ramadhani Khijjah, said implementation of these projects has encountered various challenges including institutional reforms, inadequate financial resources, untimely release of funds, and bureaucratic procurement procedures, ’’just to mention a few.’’

The CPPR exercise is part of efforts to harmonize the process of funds disbursement to reduce transactional costs and enhance the impact of aid on particular countries.

According to recent research findings, Tanzanians at the grassroots level have of late become increasingly disgruntled about the way government authorities are using public resources and unimpressed by financial information provided by such authorities.

Although the government has invested heavily in the Local Government Reform Programme (LGRP) aimed at strengthening local authorities for effective service delivery especially to rural communities, most interviewed citizens insisted that the said reforms have had no impact on their lives.

Over 75 per cent of respondents expressed outright dissatisfaction over the spending of public resources, researchers Bahati Geuzye and Hugh Frasier asserted.

According to their findings, the dissatisfied respondents said it was not clear how public resources are used because the projects executed tend to yield poor quality outputs, while some projects have not even been completed.

They even voiced strong suspicions of corruption being linked to the funds usage.

Asked by the researchers what actions they preferred to take in a bid to rectify matters, the respondents said they often raised complaints through suggestion boxes, media channels, public meetings, direct to council executive directors, and even as far as State House in some cases.

However, it was noted that ’’about 89 per cent of the respondents said their concerns have never been taken seriously, even after taking these actions.’’

The researchers also concluded that financial transparency in local government authorities (LGAs) is inadequate, with only a small portion of citizens getting access to financial information released by the councils through noticeboard displays.

The research, aimed at gauging the effectiveness of financial accountability at local government level, covered 10 randomly selected districts in the country; Kinondoni, Mkuranga, Bagamoyo, Tanga, Lushoto, Kilosa, Kibaha, Korogwe, Morogoro, and the Dar es Salaam City Council.

Some 810 Tanzanians participated as respondents.

Recommendations put forward by the researchers for improved financial accountability include strengthened planning and budgeting, improved incentives to councilors and council staff, and increased support from the central government.

SOURCE: ThisDay
IT'S THIS SIMPLE: THE MORE THE DONORS PUMP IN AID,THE MORE THE MAFISADI,NOT MERE WANANCHI,GET RICHER.THE MORE THE LEVEL OF POVERTY GROWS,THE EASIER IT GETS FOR MAFISADI TO BRIBE THEIR WAY INTO POWER.A HUNGRY MAN IS VERY LIKELY TO SELL THEIR VOTE FOR A PINT OF RICE,KILO OF SUGAR,OR PAIR OF KHANGA.SOUNDS LIKE A CRAZY THEORY BUT I GOT A HUNCH THAT THER'S A BUNCH OF UNSCRUPULOUS CHARACTERS IN OUR COUNTRY WHO JUST WISH THE COUNTRY GETS POORER AND POORER SO THAT THEY PERSIST CLINGING TO POWER.IF I AM WRONG ONE MIGHT FIND BETTER EXPLANATIONS IN DR HOSEA'S BOOK (Pictured above),HOPEFULLY!!!

18 Jun 2006

KULIKONI UGHAIBUNI:

Mambo?

Siku chache zilizopita nilibahatika kuwa na maongezi na babu mmoja wa Kiskotishi ambaye kwa maelezo yake mwenyewe yeye ni “mkazi wa dunia nzima” (global citizen).Babu huyo anadai kuwa dunia ingekuwa mahala bora sana kama kusingekuwa na mipaka na sheria kali za uhamiaji.Na katika kutimiza azma yake ya kuwa mkazi wa dunia nzima anadai ametembelea takribani nchi 10 katika kila bara.Sijui kama alikuwa anasema ukweli au “ananifunga kamba” tu.Katika maongezi yetu hayo aligusia jambo flani ambalo liliniingia sana na ambalo ndio mada yangu ya wiki hii:UZALENDO.

Kwa mujibu wa babu huyo,enzi zao wakiwa vijana suala la uzalendo lilikuwa likitiliwa mkazo sana.Alidai kuwa japo kwa sasa hali ni tofauti kidogo lakini bado nchi nyingi za magharibi zinatilia mkazo sana suala hilo.Alieleza kwamba akiwa kijana babu yake alikuwa akimwambia kuwa mazingira mazuri watakayoyaweka wakati huo yatakuja kuvinufaisha zaidi vizazi vijavyo.Baba yake pia alikuwa akimweleza hivyo hivyo.Na yeye alipokuwa mtu mzima alikuwa akiwaeleza wanae hivyohivyo.Na sasa anasema amekuwa akitoa changamoto ya aina hiyohiyo kwa wajukuu wake.Furaha aliyonayo ni kwamba utabiri wa babu na baba yake umetimia.Maendeleo yaliyopo hivi sasa yamechangiwa na msingi mzuri uliojengwa karne kadhaa zilizopita.Na kilichowasukuma hao waliotengeneza misingi hiyo si kingine zaidi ya uchungu wao kwa taifa lao na vizazi vijavyo.

Huko nyumbani kuna tatizo kuhusiana na suala la uzalendo.Wapo wapuuzi fulani ambao wanaendesha mambo utadhani hakuna kesho au labda Tanzania haitakuwepo miaka 50 ijayo.Na hawa ndio baadhi yao waliripotiwa kutishia maisha ya waandishi wa KULIKONI na THIS DAY kwa sababu magazeti hayo yameapa “kula nao sahani moja” (kuwaweka hadharani).Hawa ni watu ambao hawana uchungu si kwa nchi yao tu bali hata kwa wajukuu zao.Ukweli ni kwamba mtu anayekula fedha iliyotolewa kwa ajili ya ujenzi wa shule hana upeo wa kufikiria kwamba kwa kufanya hivyo huenda wajukuu wa mtoto wake wa mwisho watakaopaswa kwenda shule miaka 20 ijayo wanaweza kukosa nafasi hiyo kwa upuuzi uliofanyika mwaka 2006.Kuna watu wanafanya mchezo na maisha ya Watanzania wenzao kwa kutumia fedha za wenzao bila hata kuwashirikisha hao waliowekeza.Jamani,hata sheria za kawaida mtaani si kwamba bwana au bibi harusi mtarajiwa hawezi kutumia michango ya harusi yake mwenyewe pasipo kuwajulisha wanakamati?Sembuse hao ambao wamekabidhiwa fedha ambazo baadae wanapaswa kuzirejesha kwa wahusika!Nadhani mnaniapata hapo.

Wabadhirifu wa mali za umma na wala rushwa ni sawa na majambazi tu.Ni majambazi ambao silaha yao kubwa ni dhamana walizokabidhiwa kuwatumikia wananchi.Majambazi hawa wanachoiba sio fedha tu bali hata haki za Watanzania wenzao.Na kama walivyo majambazi wengine,hawa wakishahisi kuwa wanafahamika hukimbilia kutumia silaha kuu mbili:rushwa na vitisho.Kama gazeti linachimba maovu yanayofanywa na watu flani wasio na uchungu na nchi yao,basi waandishi wa gazeti hilo watafuatwa ili “wadakishwe kitu kidogo kuua soo.”Na itapoonekana kuwa gazeti hilo na waandishi wake wako ngangari katika kutetea maslahi ya Taifa na hivyo kukataa kuuza taaluma yao kwa kupokea rushwa basi hapo ndipo vitakapoanza vitisho.Sio huko nyumbani pekee ambako waandishi wa habari wanaovalia njuga kufichua maovu katika jamii wanakumbana na vitisho kutoka kwa wahusika.Mwaka 1996,Veronica Guerin, mwandishi wa habari wa kike huko Northern Ireland alipigwa risasi na kuuawa kutokana na makala za uchunguzi kuhusu biashara ya madawa ya kulevya nchini humo.Mwaka juzi,waandishi kadhaa wa magazeti ya Daily Record na Sunday Mail ya hapa Uingereza waliripoti kupokea vitisho kutokana na habari za uchunguzi walizokuwa wakiandika kuhusiana na magenge ya uhalifu.Kadhalika,mwaka jana waandishi wa habari wa magazeti kadhaa nchini Italia waliripoti kupokea vitisho baada ya kuripoti tuhuma za rushwa kuhusiana na klabu ya soka ya Genoa ya nchini humo.

Mifano hiyo michache inaonyesha ni jinsi gani watu waovu wanavyopenda kuendelea na maovu yao bila kubughudhiwa.Lakini haiwezekani watu wenye uchungu na nchi yetu wawaachie kufanya ufisadi wao wapendavyo.Naamini kila mzalendo anaelitakia mema Taifa letu atahakikisha kuwa wanahabari wanaosimama kidete kuwafichua wala rushwa na wabadhirifu hawabughudhiwi hata kidogo.Mjenga nchi ni mwananchi na mvunja nchi ni mwanachi pia.Tukiendelea kuwalea hawa majambazi wa mali na haki zetu basi tujue kuwa sio tu tunajitengezea “future” mbaya bali pia vizazi vijavyo vitatuhukumu kwa kuwaachia watu wachache wasio na uchungu na nchi yetu kutuharibia mambo.Tukiamua kwa nia moja tunaweza kuwadhibiti majambazi hao.

Alamsiki.

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